Loving God is as simple as… The story is told of a wise marriage counselor and his methods. A woman came to him saying she wanted a divorce. Her husband was a “pig” and she just wasn’t “in love” anymore. The ‘prescription’ was unusual.
Playing to her selfish, human nature he asked if she really wanted to make the ‘pig’ sorry she was gone. The thought made her smile! The counselor told her to go home and treat her ‘pig’ like a king. She should make his favorite meals, dress in a manner attractive to him, compliment him often (especially in public), and go with him to places he liked to visit.
After thirty days, she was to come back for the counselor’s recommendation for a great attorney. The counselor assured her after the next thirty days, her husband would be truly devastated by her departure. It sounded good to her and she left.
Thirty days passed and she came for her appointment. And the counselor asked if she was ready to speak to the divorce attorney. She replied, “No! I have rediscovered the man I fell in love with.”
Loving God – Loving Others
This illustrates a valuable truth about our nature and emotions. The woman took action and chose to put another person first can find on this page. Even though her motives began in selfish revenge, the continual choice to prefer another over herself stirred her emotions. There really was a time when she “fell in love” with that man. But at some point, she started choosing herself over him and then thought she “fell out of love.” By returning to a particular set of choices and preferences, her emotional state returned to “feeling” love.
Loving God is the same. We are to choose Him above all else, reverence Him, and have a fearful, awe of Him. When we make Him our constant choice and prefer what He says above all other counsel, our emotions (feelings) will follow. Love is a matter of choice (the will); it is not a just a sentimental feeling. Jesus said, If you love Me, keep My commandments. We must choose worship and obedience.
Have you “felt” more in love with your Savior in the past than you do today? Returning to your First Love really is as simple as ‘doing the things you did at first.’ And wasn’t that the command Jesus gave the church at Ephesus? Revelation 2:4-5 reminds and instructs:
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
Need this to be shorter and simpler? An old preacher had this to say about returning to God, our first love:
You will find Him right there where you left Him.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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